Dutchess Day School students get artsy

The 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers at Dutchess Day School, along with their teacher Charlessa Thatcher, hosted an art opening in their schoolroom, complete with performances and hospitality offered to families, students and teachers alike. The original artwork, created over the course of the term, was the centerpiece of the artistic celebration. The work was inspired by various studies in art history undertaken by the children with their art teacher, Vicki Hayes.The children created mosaics based on the colors and details of Roman mosaics. After watching a movie about Andy Goldsworthy, a British artist who works only with natural materials, they made nature collages. They painted flower paintings inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and versions of “Starry Night” after viewing Van Gogh’s iconic painting. After looking at the symbols used by Native Americans in their artwork, the children decorated drums using pictographs to tell a story. Metal relief sculptures were inspired by Italian Renaissance artist Lorenzo Ghiberti, and created by laying foil over shapes to create the 3D effect. The schoolroom was packed with more than 50 guests who wandered the rooms to view the original artwork. Live musicians from a variety of grades performed during the art exhibition. The preschoolers’ fourth-grade lunch pals acted as stage crew and their sixth-grade buddies came to show moral support. To add to the artistic display, the preschool students sang springtime songs, one of which involved the use of rain sticks handmade by the children. They also demonstrated a variety of yoga poses and breathing techniques to the audience.